A Tokyo Ghoul Christmas
by mysticdragon2016
Summary: Set after Always There, Hide and Kaneki are preparing for their first Christmas together. (Title subject to change) HidexKaneki and YorikoxTouka pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Hide shivered as he made his way down the snow covered sidewalk. The frigid wind brushed against his face, he took notice of his surroundings with mixed emotions. It had been about a year since Kaneki had carried him down the very same street, pleading with the CCG inspectors to provide much needed medical attention and offering his own life in exchange.

He soon found himself standing before a vacant lot where the coffee shop once stood. He paused with a heavy sigh. He vaguely recalled the fire,lying in Kaneki's arms as he drifted in and out of consciousness,comforted my his friend's presence. He had many fond memories as well. Kaneki had always seemed to be happy there, Hide had been most grateful to the employees and manager for giving his beloved Kaneki a sense of belonging and happiness.

After another moment of reflection, he continued on his way. It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination. He peered through the window with a faint smile. The coffee shop resembled Anteiku in many ways. Touka leaned against the counter,addressing the small group seated in front of her,which included Yoriko and his beloved Kaneki.

Hide pulled open the door and was greeted with the familiar sound of the bell above it.

"Hey guys." He greeted,taking a seat by the window.

"Hey Hide."The group called back in unison.

" So,I know it's not what some of us are used to," Touka continued. "But it's at least something and..thanks for supporting this, it means a lot." She sighed heavily.

"We'll officially open after the Christmas holiday, so I guess that's it and I'll see you guys then." The group rose from their chairs, most of them filing out the door and into the cold, soon only four remained.

Kaneki made his way over to his friend. Hide greeted him with a kiss,wrapping his arms around the ghoul.

"Hey beautiful." He said softly. "Miss me?"

"Only all day. How was work?" Hide shrugged.

"Same as always, Amon had me running all over the place."

"I wish you hadn't gone back there." Kaneki said.

"We talked about this. Amon offered me my job back and we need-"

"It makes you more of a target, I don't like that."

"I know you don't, I'm not exactly fond of the idea myself but we've been over this, I'll be fine. It's almost Christmas, let's not-"

"Do you want to know what I want this year?"

"Kaneki-"

"You home and safe. I can't do it again, Hide." Hide could see that Kaneki was becoming upset now.

"It really scares you doesn't it?"

"Every time you walk out the door it scares me."

"Hey,I always come back."

"Until the one time you don't and I have to go looking for you." Kaneki snapped.

"How do you think I feel when I'm at work and I don't know where you are." Hide said calmly. "Why do you think I call you so much during my shift and on the way home. I came too close to losing you too many times to not worry. That's why we got the headsets for our phones. You wanna know why I went back, Kaneki, so I can protect you. If I know what they're doing I- I'm not going to fight you on this."

"You don't need to protect me."

"Seriously, we both-"

"Are you guys okay over here?" Touka asked, hoping to defuse the argument.

"We will be,it's an adjustment that we're still trying to make." Hide explained,Kaneki remained silent. Hide turned back to Kaneki.

"I really came by because I thought if you're ready we can go home together. I don't want to fight with you,it's not worth the time we could be using to strengthen our relationship and honestly, arguments are draining. That's energy we could be putting to good use...Like Christmas shopping or even better than that-"

"Hide-" the young man reached out pulling the ghoul close in his arms.

"Something like this. I like this much better than fighting, don't you?" Kaneki rested his head on Hide's shoulder. "I love you,Kaneki, so very much. It's okay to be scared,sometimes I am too. But we have to remember to not let it stop us from living."

"It's so hard to do that."

"Hey, I know it is.I've had days when you were going out that I wanted more than anything to pull you back in and keep you home because I don't want to lose you, but I tell myself that if I tried to make you stay in the house all the time you'd be so unhappy and that's not what I want for you. You're not my prisoner, you're my best friend, the one person I can never be without, so I get it."

"I'm sorry." Kaneki said. "I just need you to be okay."

"You don't have to be sorry. We've been through a lot this last year, it's going to take time. Let's just get home, maybe we'll watch some TV and try to unwind a little, maybe a little snuggling?"Hide said hopefully.

Kaneki grabbed his coat and turned to Touka and Yoriko,ignoring Hide's request.

"If you don't have any plans for the holidays,you can come over to our place." He offered. Yoriko smiled gratefully.

"thanks, it was just going to be the two of us. We were going to watch some TV and just hang out. It would be nice to get together. Maybe this weekend we can take a look around and you guys can help us pick some things for the new house. We'll have you over when it's all pulled together."

"That would be great. " Hide said as they walked out the door and Touka locked the door behind them.

"I guess we'll see you guys-" the conversation was cut short by a group of CCG vans rushing through the street.

"What's that about?" Touka asked, Hide shook his head.

"Must've happened after I left." He said. Touka sighed heavily, feeling Yoriko grab onto her.

"You don't think..."

"We'll be okay." The dark haired ghoul assured her. Hide and Kaneki exchanged glances.

"If you'd feel safer, you can come hang out with us, I'll call Amon when we get there." Touka turned to her friend, seeing the deep concern in her eyes.

"Okay,we'll go." She said pulling Yoriko close to her. "Thanks for the invite,Yoriko gets nervous around those guys.,"

"Only because if something's happening I don't want you to get hurt." Yoriko said.

"Hey,it's cool. I don't exactly like the investors around Kaneki,I get it." Hide put an arm around Kaneki, who rested his head on his shoulder.

"See,I knew you couldn't be mad at me forever." Hide said with a grin.

"I'm just cold." Kaneki replied, Hide kissed his head softly. The group began their journey down the snow covered sidewalk.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you warm."

"I'm not worried," Kaneki said. "you always do."


	2. Chapter 2

Hide gazed through the shop windows as he moved through the corridor of the mall,his search seemed to be going nowhere. He wanted something special for Kaneki, something that would make their first Christmas together memorable.

He paused in front of the jewelry store, scanning what he could see of the cases. He pulled the door open and stepped inside.

"Welcome, how can I help you today?" A young woman asked from behind the counter.

"I'm looking for something... Special." He said. The woman smiled.

"I see, you're welcome to look around, I can help you with any questions you have or if you'd like to see anything."

"Thanks." He replied,turning his attention to the rings. He searched the display carefully, but frowned.

 _not one of these is right._ He thought, though the gold and silver bands were beautiful, Hide couldn't help but feel that he needed something more.

He turned to the woman, but before he could speak, the door opened and he was met with a familiar sight.

The tall,dark haired man stepped in, giving a nod of acknowledgment to the employee and walking toward Hide.

"Hey,Amon." The young man greeted.

"Didn't expect to see you here." Amon said,Hide sighed.

"I could say the same about you. Especially here in the ring section."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The older man asked,Hide shrugged.

"You just don't seem like the type. I thought you were married to your job."

"If we were on the clock-"

"We'd both be in trouble, wouldn't' we?" Amon simply shook his head.

"Didn't bring eyepatch?"

"Kaneki. No I didn't, I'm trying to find his gift."

"Here?"

"It's time. He was willing to die for me. Thinking back...it was always me and him, he's the one person I can't live without. I don't know how to describe the way it feels, he's a treasure worth more to me than anything and I came too close to losing him too many times, I can't let the chance slip away from me, he's too precious to me." Amon nodded.

"I get that."He said. Thoughts of Akira filling his head.

"So...you're getting one for-"

"Yeah." He said shortly.

"Good. Good for you."

"I just need to find the right one."

"They've got some nice ones here. I haven't come across the perfect one either." Silence past between them.

"Excuse me," Hide called out.

The woman turned to him.

"Yes,sir?"

"Do you happen to have anything behind the counter we could look at?"

"We do, yes." She turned from them,disappearing from view.

Hide tapped his fingers on the glass,earning an annoyed glare from his boss.

"Can you stop that?" Amon requested. Hide complied.

"Sorry. So...what are your holiday plans?"

"Not much. Akira just wants to spend a quiet evening at her place. We don't have much family."

"That's cool, We're just going to have a couple friends over,Kaneki wants to have a tree. He's out looking at them."

"Sorry it took so long." The young woman said, carrying a tray with various rings. Instantly, Hide's eyes lit up.

"Can I see that one?" He pointed to a silver colored band, in the center, a ring of blue,green material ran the length of the object.

"This one is a rare piece, its tungsten, and the blue green is opal. They're very durable and-"

"He'll love this, I'll take it.' Hide said excitedly, reaching for his card.

" that was a quick decision, how can you-"The older man began.

"Sky blue and this shade of green are his favorite colors. I just... Feel it,he's going to love it.'" Amon shook his head.

"And here I am putting all this thought into it." He scoffed.

"When you see it,you'll know." Hide said taking the small bag and thanking the woman. Hide turned back to Amon.

"Sorry I can't stay and talk, I have another store to get to, good luck and Merry Christmas." He grinned, exiting the store.

"Yeah," Amon sighed. "You too."

The sun was setting as Hide reached the house he shared with Kaneki. He pushed open the door and was met with the smell of fresh coffee. He made his way to the living room, smiling at the sound of Christmas music and soft voices coming from inside.

Hide stopped in the doorway, his eyes resting on the Christmas tree that stood in the corner. The green branches seemed to have artificial snow in various places.

"Do you like it?" Kaneki asked,standing to greet him.

"It's awesome, I thought you didn't like the-"

"Honestly, I'm not fond of the all white trees, I like it to look as real as possible, so I found a compromise."

"We went to like five different stores." Touka pointed out."I told him he should just pick one, then Yoriko had to have one."

"I can't help it if they're cute." Yoriko retorted.

"I thought we could get together tomorrow and look at ornaments."

"That sounds great, I actually saw one at the store, I thought it would be good start." Hide reached into his bag,pulling out a single red drum which hung from a golden thread.

Touka and Yoriko exchanged confused glances.

"You know how much I like music, and don't you remember that time we tried to learn when we were kids, that was an awesome time. I thought we could put it on together." Kaneki reached out taking hold of the other side of the tread.

"You know I only did that because you asked me to." Kaneki pointed out. Hide kissed him softly.

"I know. Thanks." He said pulling the white haired ghoul closer.

Yoriko leaned against Touka with a sigh.

" we should get something special for our tree." She suggested.

"Anything you want,Yoriko, as long as you're happy."


	3. Chapter 3

"You know what would be great?" Hide asked, placing a red bulb on the branch,while Kaneki carefully set the star on the tree.

"What?" The white haired ghoul asked.

"A fireplace." Hide replied.

"Hide-"

"Think about it, we could sit on the couch, just you and me, I could...hold you close,just like this." He reached out, pulling Kaneki into his arms. "Listening to the crackling while we watch the lights on the trees with the lights out...snuggled in a blanket together."

"That does sound nice." Kaneki agreed.

"It sounds awesome, that settles it,our next house has to have a fireplace in the living room." Hide declared.

"Do you know how expensive that's going to be?" Kaneki pointed out. "There isn't much money between us,can you really expect to-" Hide cut him off with a kiss, allowing the ghoul's hand to find its way to the messy blonde hair. After several minutes, they rested their foreheads against each other.

"There'd probably be a good bit of that too."

"Think so?"

"I'm pretty sure." Hide chuckled. Kaneki pulled away, returning to the tree.

"Come on,you can't tell you wouldn't enjoy that."

"Let's focus on the tree,Touka and Yoriko are coming over in a little while. Did you remember to get the guest room ready?"

"Dude, didn't I tell you I would, I always keep my promises." Hide moved closer, wrapping his arms around Kaneki from behind.

"The question is...when are you going to keep yours?"

"You're not going to let me finish this tree,are you?" Kaneki sighed.

"It's not like you have a lot to do, we can finish it later. Let's throw the tinsel on and-"

"No tinsel, it gets everywhere and we're still finding it months later." The ghoul complained.

"You can't have Christmas without tinsel. It's like... Peanut butter without jelly." Kaneki raised an eyebrow.

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"It's not the same." Kaneki sighed once more.

"Fine, but cleaning it up is your responsibility."

"Deal." Hide said, as the finishing touches were added, they stood back to admire it.

"Let's test it out,what do you say?" Kaneki gave a nod,watching Hide move to the light switch.

"There's only one real way to test this." The human said turning off the light. He returned to Kaneki, taking the ghoul's hand and guiding him to the sofa. He lowered himself onto the seat,pulling Kaneki with him.

Hide drew him closer,placing an arm around him, allowing Kaneki to rest against him.

The various colored lights provided a soft,inviting glow.

"It's beautiful." Kaneki said softly.

"Yeah, amazing." Hide grinned, gazing at his friend.

"You're right though, a fireplace would be perfect. We could sit just like this."

"Know what else is awesome?" Hide added.

"What?"

"We get to do this every year. There's no one in the world I'd rather share Christmas with,and if I'm being honest,no one I'd rather share my who life with than you."

"I could do this every year."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Hey,Kaneki?" Hide called softly.

"Hm?"

"Someday, we'll have that fireplace, I promise." He kissed the ghoul's head. " I'll do everything I can to make you happy. I'd give you the world if I could."Kaneki smiled.

"You already have." A knock on the door forced them to part.

"That's Touka and Yoriko." Kaneki said, standing up. "I'll go." He leaned down and kissed Hide.

"We'll work on my promise later." He told him,making his way to the door. "

"Yeah, can't wait." He thought out loud, rising from his seat to greet the guests.


	4. Chapter 4

Hide pushed open the bedroom door to find Kaneki still asleep peacefully. He took several steps back into the hall before charging forward.

"Kaneki!" He shouted, jumping onto the bed, nearly landing on his friend.

Startled, Kaneki shot straight up to find Hide seated next to him. He sighed heavily, lying back down.

"Hey, time to get up, it's Christmas!" Kaneki pulled the blanket closer, ignoring the wake up call.

"Kaneki..."

"It's early."

"Not that early." Hide leaned over his friend, shaking him slightly.

"Don't go back to sleep, remember... We have guests."

"Yeah, it's not exactly polite to wake them."

"Please?"

"Speaking of waking people, whatever happened to the gentle nudge or softly-"

"Dude, you were really sick, and in so much pain. You needed a little gentleness. But you're better now and you don't hurt anymore so...back to normal."Hide teased. Kaneki groaned,attempting to drift off again. After only a few minutes, Hide chuckled warmly.

"Okay," he said softly, close to Kaneki's ear. "You win." The human lovingly began to nuzzle him.

"Come on,beautiful. It's time to wake up."

"Now it doesn't count, I had to tell you-"

"You know how much I love you, right?"

"You can be such a child."

"Yeah, but you know you love me." Kaneki sighed, opening his eyes to gaze up into Hide's.

"I never said I didn't."

"Then you'll get up?"

"Yes, I'll get up...eventually."Hide groaned, resting his head on Kaneki's chest.

" you're killing me." He complained.

"What do you have against me sleeping past six in the morning?"

"nothing it's past six, it's like almost seven. Besides it's Christmas!"

"It'll be Christmas all day."

"But this is our first one together and it's really important."

"You should lie down with me for a while longer." Kaneki suggested, running his slender fingers through Hide's hair.

"You're incredible." Hide said, in a soft tone. Kaneki reached up, pressing his lips to Hide's,

Hide moaned softly into the kiss, deepening the affection.

"You're trying to distract me from what I'm-"

"Am I?" The white haired ghoul teased.

"Yeah, you are and...I'm so in love with you." The human grinned, resting his palms on each side of Hide's face. When at last they parted,Hide laid down, using his friend as a pillow.

"If we didn't have guests-" Kaneki chuckled,stroking Hide's messy blonde hair.

"Okay,let's just...lay here."

"Good idea.'" The ghoul replied, drifting back into sleep.

When Kaneki woke the second time, it was to Hide's hand caressing his face lovingly.

"Kaneki, come on, it's like ten,Touka and Yoriko are in the living room.

Kaneki stretched and allowed Hide to pull out of bed.

He yawned softly, leaning on Hide, not yet fully awake.

When at last they reached their destination, they were greeted by the girls with a smile.

" Merry Christmas, you guys." The female ghoul said, her arms wrapped around Yoriko.

"Merry Christmas. Hide replied. "We're glad you two could share the holiday with us."

"Yeah, thanks for having us. We don't really have much family to spend it with.

" You're like family to us and our door's always open." Hide said. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for everything you did to help when Kaneki was sick."

"And for checking on Hide when he was in the hospital and afterwards." Kaneki added.

"Anyway, let's get to the best part. Who's going first?"

"I'll give Yoriko hers." Touka stepped over to the tree, taking hold of one of a brightly wrapped box. She carried it over to the couch, handing it off to her friend."

Yoriko tore through the green paper, her eyes lighting up instantly.

"Touka, you- personalized cutting board, that's so sweet." She held up the piece of wood which had her name etched into it, hearts had also been added around the letters. She kissed Touka's cheek.

"There's a few more things at our house." Touka admitted.

"I'll go next." Kaneki said kneeling next to the tree,pulling out a box and standing to give it to Hide.

Hide unwrapped it quickly.

"New headphones, these are the ones I wanted too, didn't think you'd remember. Thanks,Kaneki." Hide said excitedly, he leaned close, kissing the ghoul.

"These are hard to find, how did you-"

"I saw them when I got the tree, they were the last pair."

"You should go next,Hide." Touka said, sharing a glance with Yoriko, who grinned.

"Are you sure, I mean you-"

"Just do it." Touka said crossing her arms. Hide nodded.

"Okay, if you're sure." Hide crossed the short distance to the tree, catching sight of Kaneki curiously glancing underneath it. Hide chuckled.

"You're not going to find it there." He said taking hold of the red drum ornament and carrying it over to the white haired ghoul. "I knew you'd look for it so I got a little...creative." He cleared his throat.

"We've been through so much this past year, with you being as sick as you were and the raid...that night,I-" He paused, sighing. "It made it clear to me that so much can chance in such a small amount of time. For a really long time now, there's something I wanted to do and I put it off because I was afraid it might not work out the way I wanted it to. But after everything that happened, it's time." Hide lowered himself onto his knee.

"Kaneki, you amaze me. You're a loving person despite what you've been through. All this time, you've been telling me that I've been your rock since we were kids but what you don't know is you've been my strength this whole time. The best day of my life was when we met. Everything I am or will be, I will be because of you. I can't imagine living without you and I know I don't have a lot to give, but I promise you that you will always be loved no matter what, I'll do everything I can to give you anything and everything you could want. My heart still skips a beat when you're near me and every time I hold you, I can't even describe he it feels. I want so much for you. You're the first thought I have every morning and the last before I go to sleep, you are the world to me and- what I'm trying to say...Will you grant me a Christmas miracle and marry me?" Hide opened the drum to reveal the silver colored ring with the blue and green opal. Kaneki stared down at him in shock.

"If the answer is no, I totally get-'

" yes." Kaneki said at last, the shock beginning to fade way. Hide stood slipping the ring onto the ghoul's finger.

"Seriously?" The blonde man asked, a faint smile was forming on Kaneki's face.

"Seriously, yes." Hide wasted no time in pulling him close.

"I was actually scared you'd say no."

"How could I, I love you so much." Kaneki tightened his grip on Hide.

"I love you too. But it doesn't stop there, this time next year, I'm taking you to Paris and were gonna get married and spend some time seeing the sights. You did say you wanted to go there didn't you?"

"We can't afford-"

"Shh, don't worry about that, it'll be taken care of."

"This is more than a monster like me deserves." Hide placed a gentle hand under Kaneki's chin, tilting his head to look directly into his eyes.

"You are not a monster, you're my heart, and I don't want you thinking about yourself any other way. Promise?"

"I- I'll try, it's just hard to see myself as-"

"I wish I could show you the way I see you, you'd know just how beautiful and awesome you really are."

"Hide-"

"Hang on, there's one last thing." Hide said.

"What?"

"Look straight up." Kaneki did as he was told, catching sight of the mistletoe above them.

"You know what that means ..' Kaneki draped his arms around Hide's neck.

" yeah," the ghoul smiled. "I do." Touka nodded on the couch as the newly engaged couple shared their kiss.

"Well played,Hide." She said. "Very well played."


End file.
